Heavy Networking

Network automation is today’s topic with sponsor Gluware. Gluware provides a network automation platform that targets both network engineers and automation builders. On today’s Heavy Networking, we discuss how Gluware supports these two constituencies. We also talk about a recent product announcement, Gluware Labs. Gluware Labs includes a free Community Edition of Gluware software you... Read more »

In this discussion, Jason Ginterd, CTO at Lake Tech Communications and IRR volunteer, and Jake Kuhn, network architect at Fortanix, dive deep into the essentials of Internet Routing Registries (IRRs) and the Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL). They highlight the critical role of these tools in preventing BGP hijacks. The duo explains the intricate BGP routing policies and shares insights on their historical evolution. Listeners learn about the operational dynamics of IRRs and practical tips for managing routing policies effectively.

Netris is tackling the issue of automating multi-tenancy in an AI data center. Netris has your answer to this challenge, and it’s a solution certified to work with NVIDIA. We’re going to get into the nuts and bolts of Netris network automation with Alex Saroyan, CEO and co-founder of Netris. Along the way, we will... Read more »

While studying for the CCIE Service Provider certification, Andrew Ohanian assembled a workbook to help him prepare. It’s packed with lab exercises, and Andrew has turned it into a free Web resource that anyone can access. On today’s Heavy Networking, we talk with Andrew about what’s in the guide, the state of the CCIE SP,... Read more »

Dan Wade, a network automation practice lead at Blue Ally and co-author of a Cisco Press book, dives into the world of network testing. He outlines the importance of testing before automation, highlighting four key types, including unit and integration tests. The discussion expands on modern protocols like Yang, RESTCONF, and NETCONF, emphasizing their roles in effective network management. Wade also shares insights on Python testing frameworks and the push for continuous compliance in network management, paving the way for streamlined operations.

Lee Harding, founder of Proxility, Anton Lönnebro, a solutions architect in Sweden, and Kieran Sheldon, an infrastructure engineer from Australia, engage in a lively discussion about the relevance of modern networking architectures. They dive into the debate over underlays and overlays, questioning if the overlay approach is overkill. The guests explore the evolution from static hardware to software-defined solutions, touching on SD-WAN benefits, and emphasize the vital role of foundational networking knowledge in navigating today’s complex tech landscape.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a very new protocol that provides a standard way to link AI models to a variety of data sources and tools. As the industry heads toward agentic AI–in which an AI agent interacts with disparate applications, data sources, and other agents to achieve a task–MCP provides the protocol glue. On... Read more »

Today’s Heavy Networking is all about overlay technologies, their history, development, and current state, both from engineer and vendor perspectives. We discuss why the industry turns to overlays to solve problems, and look at overlay and segmentation approaches including VXLAN, SRv6, and EVPN. We also drill into the idea that EVPN could become the standard... Read more »

Network security has evolved from stateful perimeter firewalls with maybe some IDS/IPS to a complex stack delivered as numerous unique tools, which often don’t talk to one another and may need to be operated by specialists. In this environment it’s hard to unify a security policy, troubleshoot problems, manage and operate tools, and respond effectively... Read more »

On today’s Heavy Networking, we’ll discuss building a Slackbot wired to an AI and trained on your own organization’s knowledge. The potential use cases for network operations are fascinating, and today’s guest, Kyler Middleton is here to explain the finer details on how to do it and point us to free resources created so that... Read more »